Page 28 of The Last Close Call

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Jack gripped the wheel with frustration as he drove down Lamar. He glanced at Rowan gazing sullenly out the window. She hadn’t said a word since leaving Joy Kendall’s house.

“Stop giving me that look,” she said, still staring out the window.

“What look?”

“That How could you blow my big interview? look.”

“I’m not giving you a look.”

“Right.”

“I’m not. I’m just... frustrated. I don’t understand what just happened.”

“What do you mean?” Rowan tore her attention away from the window, finally. “We told her why we were there and asked for her help. Now she has to think about it.”

“Yeah, but ‘Take your time’? You really think that was the best way to end it?”

Rowan folded her arms, clearly unhappy to have her tactics questioned.

“You can’t pressure her. I’m telling you, that could backfire. Then you’re looking at a major setback.”

Jack was already looking at a major setback. The best lead he’d had in months—years—had potentially turned into a dead end.

And if not a dead end, at the very least, a delay.

Rowan pulled her purse into her lap and unzipped it. “She’ll reach out. Trust me.” She pulled out a roll of Life Savers and popped one into her mouth. “Want one?”

“No.”

Jack trained his gaze on the road.

“Relax,” she said, swishing the Life Saver around.

He shook his head.

“Seriously, I bet she calls you tomorrow.”

“This isn’t a family reconciliation we’re dealing with, Rowan. I’m on a clock here.” He glanced at her. “This guy’s out there. And he’s dangerous.”

“I know, all right!” She tossed her purse to the floor. “But you can’t just badger people. Think about what you’re asking her to do here.”

“I’m asking her to do the right thing and help me take someone dangerous off the streets.”

She huffed out a breath. “But you can’t just make someone do the right thing. I mean, look at it from her perspective. She thinks you’re coming over to update her on a car burglary, and suddenly you’re sitting there asking about a baby she gave up for adoption when she was a teenager. Because that baby has grown up to be a violent criminal. Geez! Did you see how unnerved she was? Her own husband doesn’t even know she had a teen pregnancy.”

“Yeah, I caught that. They must be really close. Sounds like a great marriage.”

“You’re missing the point.”

“No, I got it.” He changed gears as he neared a stoplight. “I understand you don’t want to put pressure on her, and you want to treat her with kid gloves and all that. But in my job, pressure comes with the territory. We’re under pressure to find this guy before he goes after his next victim.”

Quiet settled over them, and he realized he’d raised his voice. Rowan was staring out the window again, ignoring him. Or probably thinking he was an asshole.

Jack took a deep breath. He shouldn’t be taking this out on her. She was only trying to help.

A drizzle started up again as they made their way through downtown. The swish-swish of the windshield wipers filled the silence as they wended their way back to the police station.

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